


Nocturne

by crimsoncomradeposts



Category: Marriage Story (2019)
Genre: Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:08:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29132337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimsoncomradeposts/pseuds/crimsoncomradeposts
Summary: Charlie’s brows furrow when he hears the whispered greeting at the other end of the line, and he wonders for a moment if he’s disrupted your sleep. Again, he checks his watch, noting that it is still early afternoon. Surely you aren’t napping... “I’m sorry, I hope I haven’t disturbed you. This is Charlie Barber, I was responding to your inquiry about the nanny position.”
Relationships: Charlie Barber/Reader, Charlie Barber/You
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39





	Nocturne

**_Full Time, Live-In Nanny Wanted For 8 Year Old_ **

_ Charlie Barber _

_ Brooklyn, New York _

**_Salary_ **

_ $1,000 a week _

**_Benefits_ **

_ Your medical coverage will be covered, as well as two weeks paid leave for personal / vacation time, and holidays. _

**_Job Description_ **

_ I’m a single father in need of a nanny to help care for my eight year old son. My work schedule can be erratic, hence the need for someone who is available to live-in full time. _

_   
_ **_Duties Will Include_ **

  * _Caring for 8 year old full time when he’s not in school, dropping him off and picking him up on the days that he is (the school is within walking distance, so there will be no need for transport)_


  * Able to cook/provide meals for my son while I’m away.


  * Must be willing to help keep the apartment tidy and clean, laundry done, etc (I’m not expecting you to handle mine, of course).



Your eyes continue to scan the screen of your laptop, taking in all of the various duties, education requirements, skills and competencies listed in the ad that you’ve brought up only a minute or two ago. Of all of the adverts you’ve scrolled through today, this one is the only one that has not only ticked off every box for you, but you’ve ticked every requirement listed and then some. It certainly doesn’t help that the ad mentions that the starting salary is negotiable. With a quick movement of the mouse, you select the ‘Contact’ button and begin to type out your message.

**_Subject:_ ** _ Nanny Position _

_ Good afternoon Mr. Barber, _

_ I came across your ad for the live-in nanny position and find myself quite interested in the job. For your convenience, I have attached my resume as well as a list of references, which I think you will find will speak quite highly of me. I look forward to hearing from you. _

You sign the message with your name and click the ‘Send’ button before you can spare a moment to allow any doubt to slip in and prevent you from doing so. A minute passes and then two, and soon enough you find yourself refreshing your email for any signs of a reply. It’s irrational, you think to yourself, already checking so soon. With a sigh, you set your computer onto the coffee table and lift yourself up from the couch in order to occupy your mind with another task.

Twenty blocks away, Charlie is in the midst of rehearsals when his phone dings, the familiar sound indicating that he has received yet another email. His eyes remain on the stage in front of him whilst his right hand slips into the pockets of his trousers to retrieve the device, only glancing away from the actors as they carry on once his phone is out and in front of him. With swift swipes of his thumb, he accesses his emails and reads the subject line of the most recent addition to his inbox. It is one of many inquiries he has received, and for a brief moment, he considers putting his phone away and reading it at another time, perhaps once he is home. However, the last time he chose to do that, he reminds himself, he wound up forgetting for an entire week!  _ That _ applicant had since gone on to take another position elsewhere, much to his dismay, leaving him to continue his search.

Charlie’s attention remains on the phone, reading through the body of the email before his thumb taps on the first attachment: your resume. He combs through it meticulously, stopping only once his name is called from the stage. His brows pinch together, remiss that he has not paid one iota of his time or attention to the rehearsals since picking up his phone.

“I was asking that we take ten,” says the lead, his hand lifting to shield his eyes from the shine of the stage lights.

Charlie gives him a curt nod and a dismissive wave of a hand. “Take twenty, I have some things to attend to.”

As the crew takes their temporary leave, Charlie remains in his seat for a moment longer, pouring over references and all of the information listed on your resume. Five minutes have passed before he finally rises up from the warm seat, palming his phone as he makes his way to the bowels of the building in order to step into his office. With the office door shut and securely locked to prevent him from being disturbed, he takes a seat in the plush leather chair behind his desk. 

One by one he phones each reference, listening as call after call, they regale him with kind words and glowing reviews. You are, it seems, beloved by everyone, children included. By the time he concludes his last call he is convinced, without a shadow of a doubt, that you are the best candidate for the job. Charlie glances to the watch that adorns his left wrist and checks the time. There are still a few minutes left before the crew’s break is over and he is forced to return to rehearsals. Wasting no more time, he dials your number and lifts the device to his ear, listening to the steady rings that follow.

You are standing in front of an Agnes Martin painting when your phone rings, the incessant chimes shattering the peaceful quiet of the stark white room you find yourself in. Hastily, so as not to attract more angry glares than you already have, you dig your phone out of your purse and press your finger to the touch screen’s answer button to pick up the call.

“Hello,” you answer quietly, keeping your voice as low as you can so as not to disturb the others in the room.

Charlie’s brows furrow when he hears the whispered greeting at the other end of the line, and he wonders for a moment if he’s disrupted your sleep. Again, he checks his watch, noting that it is still early afternoon. Surely you aren’t  _ napping _ ... “I’m sorry, I hope I haven’t disturbed you. This is Charlie Barber, I was responding to your inquiry about the nanny position.”

“ _ Oh! _ Yes, yes, I’m so sorry. Give me just a moment,” you reply, continuing to whisper as you make a beeline for the doorway in order to step out into the hall. The moment that the door closes behind you, you smile at nothing in particular and increase the volume of your voice. “Sorry about that, I was in the middle of an art exhibit.”

“MoMA?”

The question is unexpected, and for a brief moment, it leaves you taken aback. “Uh, no. The Guggenheim, actually.”

Charlie hums in automatic response, quickly following up the sound with a statement that brings the both of you right back on track as to why he’d called in the first place. “So I called your references and I have heard nothing but good things.”

“I should hope so, I paid them a pretty penny,” you joke, eliciting a hearty laugh from Charlie. The sound makes the smile that you wear stretch wider across your face.

“Money well spent,” he teases in return. “Listen…” He trails off briefly whilst he sits up straighter in his chair, the leather creaking beneath the weight of him. “I know this is late notice, but I was hoping we could meet today. I’d like to have a face to face chat, see how you and I get on, and if things go well then I’d like to introduce you to my son.” There is another fleeting pause as he inhales a deep breath. “I don’t mean to sound terribly forward, but I do want to get the ball rolling on this as quickly as possible.”

You nod, though you are fully aware of his inability to see you in the moment. “Of course. Where would you like to meet?”

Charlie’s lips purse and he gives another cursory glance to his wristwatch. “I’ll be at the Gibney on Broadway and East 19th for another, oh, six hours, give or take. If you can meet me here within the next couple of hours I think that would be ideal.”

Your gaze wanders around the space where you stand, mind reeling as you attempt to calculate how far of a ride that is from where you stand. “I think I should be able to make it within the hour, if that works for you?”

Charlie smiles. “Sounds perfect. I’m up on the 5th floor. Give me a ring, I’ll meet you by the elevators.”

***

Just as you’d anticipated, the ride from 5th Avenue to West 20th took a little under half an hour; factor in the brief walk that followed, and you were coming in at right under an hour. Smiling in satisfaction to yourself, you pull your phone from your pocket and dial Charlie’s number, letting him know that you’ve arrived.

_ This is crazy _ , you think to yourself as you board the elevator. He’d done his due diligence to check your references, but yet you hadn’t had the foresight to do the same. This is a man you may very well be living with for the foreseeable future, he could be a serial killer for all you know… The thought elicits a flutter of nerves in the pit of your belly as the elevator doors slide closed and it begins to lift upward towards the fifth floor. Your gaze lifts, and one by one, you watch as the red digital numbers above the doors climb higher until you’ve reached your destination. The familiar ding of the elevator sounds as it comes to a stop, and when you bring your attention back down as the doors part, you’re taken aback by the view that you’re greeted with.

Leaning against the opposite wall, hands shoved firmly into his pockets is a tall, broad, handsome figure with his eyes trained solely on you. As you take a step out of the elevator, Charlie pushes himself away from the wall, the two of you taking small, tentative steps to meet halfway in the center of the hall. He says your name as if it is a question, seeking to confirm that it is you, though… Who else could it possibly be? He’s expecting no one else.

You nod, and it is then that his right hand slides out of his pocket and he offers it to you in greeting, the stony expression he’d worn now slipping away into something much warmer when your hand slips into his to give it an all too brief shake. “My office is just a few doors down. I’d prefer we talk there if you’re agreeable. Though I don’t anticipate this taking too long, I imagine you’d appreciate a comfortable seat rather than the harsh lighting of this hall.”

He bares his teeth to you then when his lips pull back into yet another smile, his Adam’s apple bobbing lightly in time with the chuckles that leave him. Like him, you also find yourself smiling, and with a nod, you motion with a wave of your hand in the direction of his office. “After you.”

His office, you find, is small— _ cozy _ , you think to yourself as you take a seat in one of the two chairs that sit directly in front of his desk. Behind him, on the exposed brick wall, hangs a degree from New York University, and on his desk are a few photos of Charlie and his son. The creak of the chair that Charlie finds himself in now draws your attention back to him, the two of you once again smiling at one another just before Charlie delves into the finer details of the job.

“I’m lucky. Henry, my son, he’s a rather easy going kid. I think you’ll find he won’t struggle in most things, though he does struggle in reading. Dyslexia,” he says rather quickly, a hand lifting to rake his fingers through his hair. “So I cannot stress enough how patient I’ll need you to be with him when you’re helping him with his studies.”

You nod in understanding, more than willing to accept the task of being patient with his son and his struggles. “I can be patient,” you reply. “That won’t be an issue at all.”

“Good.” This time it is Charlie who nods, eyes assessing you as you sit before him. “You did note that this is a live-in position, correct?”

“I did.”

He hums, lifting a hand to tap a finger against his mouth briefly before lowering it again. “What’s your living situation like now? Is there a lease you’ll need to break?”

There is a moment of hesitation on your part, and you can’t help but shift in your seat as you squirm, pinned beneath his piercing gaze. “There is. But—”

“How much?”

“ _ Excuse me?! _ ”

There is no offense in your outburst, that much he can tell; your words are thick with the surprise that you undoubtedly feel, and Charlie merely shrugs in response. “I’ll need to know how much so I can cover the cost.”

“Oh, you don’t need to—”

“ _ Yes _ ,” he says firmly, not allowing any room for further debate on the matter, “I do.”

Silence follows the statement, the two of you merely staring one another down until finally, you avert your gaze—though the moment of avoidance doesn’t last for long.

“When can you start?”

Your gaze snaps back to where Charlie sits, hands clasping in your lap. “As soon as you need me.”

Charlie inhales a breath, and you aren’t certain if it’s merely a trick of the light, but you can _swear_ that his pupils dilate upon hearing your response. “Tonight,” he replies huskily. “I’ll need you tonight.”


End file.
